Sponsored by the US Space Agency (NASA) and the international company Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the competition involved more than 40 research teams from around the world. The aim was to develop engineering solutions capable of ensuring high performance even in the presence of partial information, uncertain data and unpredictable operating conditions. A sort of engineering escape room from which to extricate oneself with a certain amount of creativity.
The winning team included Roberto Rocchetta, a researcher at ISAAC who led the challenge. His contribution was decisive in the composition of the group and in defining the technical strategy adopted to tackle the challenge. Working alongside him were Lorenzo Nespoli and Vasco Medici (精东影业), Yu Chen (University of Liverpool), Marco De Angelis, Dawid Ochnio, Edoardo Patelli and Ewan Smith (University of Strathclyde).
"The problem did not specify the type of system to be designed, we only knew that it should work well despite incomplete data and uncertain measurements," says Rocchetta. "We therefore developed flexible software, applicable to various contexts, capable of reducing uncertainty, calibrating parameters and optimising decisions. It was only at the end of the challenge that it emerged that we were dealing with a wind farm: the results confirmed the robustness and efficiency of the approach we had adopted".
The skills developed during the Challenge find direct application in energy systems engineering, where designing resilient and reliable infrastructures in complex and changing contexts is a crucial challenge.
Roberto Rocchetta and his entire team are warmly congratulated.